Clustered together and staggered like rowboats in a race, the three longhouses of the Lindsay Boathouse designed by VJAA are equal parts training and storage facility for Upper Canada College’s K–12 rowing program. Cross-laminated timber and concave roofs that softly reference the curve of a boat’s oar give the Toronto Outer Harbour complex the striking profile of a hull’s low silhouette on the water. The southwest-facing volume’s wall of windows ushers in views of the city skyline for practising rowers. Designed for daytime use, the sustainable, seasonally used structure requires almost no interior lighting; further boosting its sustainability refuge for birds and butterflies.
Team: Jennifer Yoos, Vincent James, Nathan Knutson and Nate Steuerwald with Prodigy; RDHA; Valdor Engineering, NAK Design Strategies; Blackwell; Smith & Andersen


